On the use of the head injury criterion (HIC) in protective headgear evaluation

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Newman, James A.¹

On the use of the head injury criterion (HIC) in protective headgear evaluation

Proceedings of the 19th Stapp Car Crash Conference

Affiliations

¹Mechanical Engineering, University of Ottawa
Abstract

The validity and appropriateness of the application of the Head Injury Criterion (HIC m ) concept to motorcycle helmet testing has been examined. Its derivation has been reviewed and its logic assessed. It is shown to be an inconsistent and unreliable criterion for helmet performance evaluation. This inconsistency stems primarily from its poor correlation with experimental data and from the basic assumption that the seriousness of a head impact can be ascertained by considering only a portion of the test headform acceleration pulse. Several alternative criteria which all are physically sound and mathematically consistent and which are more amenable to protective headgear design and testing are proposed. These criteria include force and loading time minimization; load distribution; minimization of loading rate and maximization of energy dissipation.
Links

DOI: 10.4271/751162

SAE: 751162

Cited By (16)

Year	Entry
1996	Hurt HH Jr, Thom DR, Smith TA. Updating the twenty-year old DOT helmet standard (FMVSS No. 218). In: 40th Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM). October 7-9, 1996; Vancouver, BC.443-461.
2003	Wobrock J, Smith T, Kasantikul V, Whiting W. Effectiveness of collision-involved motorcycle helmets in Thailand. In: 47th Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM). September 22-24, 2003; Lisbon, Portugal.1-23.
1998	Thom DR, Hurt HH Jr, Smith TA. Motorcycle helmet test headform and test apparatus comparison. In: Proceedings of the 16th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV). May 31–June 4, 1998; Windsor, Ontario, Canada.2310-2322.
1985	Hobbs CA, Lawrence GJL, Clarke CS. PSC1: a demonstration car with improvements for pedestrian protection. In: Proceedings of the 10th International Technical Conference on Experimental Safety Vehicles (ESV). July 1-4, 1985; Oxford, England.31-38. SAE 856011.
1989	Hopes PD, Chinn BP. Helmets: a new look at design and possible protection. In: Proceedings of the 1989 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Impact. September 13-15, 1989; Stockholm, Sweden.39-54.
1993	Beusenberg MC, Happee R. An experimental evaluation of crash helmet design and effectiveness in standard impact tests. In: Proceedings of the 1993 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Impact. September 8-10, 1993; Eindhoven, The Netherlands.307-323.
2014	Newman JA. The road to understanding head protection: detours, potholes and speed bumps along the way. Stapp Car Crash J. November 2014;58:vii-ix.
1982	Proctor TD. A review of research relating to industrial helmet design. J Occupat Accidents. March 1982;3(4):259-272.
1986	Barnes K, Bell N, Vasilliou D, Firth JL. Medical aspects of head protection at work. J Occupat Accidents. 1986;8(3):173-180.
1986	Proctor TD, Rowland FJ. Development of standards for industrial safety helmets: the state of the art. J Occupat Accidents. November 1986;8(3):181-191.
2007	Viano DC, Casson IR, Pellman EJ. Concussion in professional football: biomechanics of the struck player—Part 14. Neurosurgery. August 2007;61(2):313-327.
1992	Mendis K. Finite Element Modeling of the Brain to Establish Diffuse Axonal Injury Criteria [PhD thesis]. The Ohio State University; November 1992.
2015	Butz RC. An Impact Force Transducer for Anthropomorphic Test Dummy Headforms: Application to Study Effects of External Helmet Accessories on Biomechanical Measures of Head Injury Risk [Master's thesis]. Edmonton, AB: University of Alberta; 2015.
2014	Patton DA. The Biomechanical Determinants of Sports-Related Concussion: Finite Element Simulations of Unhelmeted Head Impacts to Evaluate Kinematic and Tissue-Level Predictors of Injury and Investigate the Design Implications for Soft-Shell Headgear [PhD thesis]. University of New South Wales; March 2014.
2014	Rousseau P. Analysis of Concussion Metrics of Real-World Concussive and Non-Injurious Elbow and Shoulder to Head Collisions in Ice Hockey [PhD thesis]. Ottawa, ON: University of Ottawa; 2014.
1983	Morrison WE. Calibration and Utilization of an Instrumented Football Helmet for the Monitoring of Impact Accelerations [PhD thesis]. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania; March 1983.